Look at him now: Ben Gibson

It was a big loss, wasn’t it? Ben Gibson moved to Burnley in early August of the summer transfer window to bolster his career in the Premier League, yet it seems it has in fact gone backwards since leaving Middlesbrough.

Gibson was very much one of their own. A local lad who came through the ranks at the Rockliffe Park, he became a regular at the Riverside Stadium in the 2013/14 season and kicked on from there.

He was a key figure in Boro’s promotion to the Premier League, remaining ever-present throughout the highs and the lows but as he was soon to be approaching his peak, the then 25-year-old felt it was the right time to move on and so he did to Turf Moor.

Burnley signed the defender for £15m, as per SkySports and in the months prior to his signing, SkySports also reported that Everton, West Ham United and Leicester City were all interested in his services so he was clearly a sought-after man.

It was easy to see why, too. His natural defensive attributes are partnered by a calmness in possession that was not so common in the backlines of the lower echelons of the Premier League with Boro at the time, so Gibson’s playstyle certainly caught the eye.

However, since moving to Burnley, he has been unable to break the irrepressible partnership of Ben Mee and James Tarkowski, as he has played just five times all season, with only one of the appearances coming in the Premier League as he has mainly featured on the bench.

If he is unable to come between that partnership to feature himself, it may be wise to look to move elsewhere for regular football during his peak. Gibson does have time on his side at just 26 as Mee is not far off 30 now, so he will not be able to maintain his standard of performances forever which could create an opening for Gibson in the side but, it may be a wise idea to consider other possibilities too and who knows, even a return to Boro could be on the cards if Tony Pulis was to move on.

For now, though, Gibson will have to bide his time in Sean Dyche’s side and hope that sooner rather than later, he can have more of an impact on this Burnley side.

Boro fans, what are some of your memories of Gibson? Join the discussion by commenting below…